Tucked away for the winter
 

It's that time of year again. She stays in the garage and I will change the oil and filter and keep her put until April 1.

Took mine off the road a couple of weeks ago. I put my MPSS in warm storage and leave her in the backyard on winter rims/tires. A little bit of dielectric grease on the wndow seals to prevent freeze up and she's done.

is it better to change the oil before or after storage?

I've done both through various vehicles. On the FR-S I've been in the habit of changing before storage. Can't remember where I read it but there are varying schools of thought on the subject. Something about acidity in the oil after it breaks down after use. Best to drain it out and put fresh stuff in, despite the fact that the oil will take on some water through condensation over winter - most of which will burn off at initial start up and when the engine reaches operating temp.

My routine is simple:

1. Change the oil.
2. Change the wheels/tires to put performance tires away in warmer part of the house.
3. Raise tire pressures 1-3psi over stock for storing.
4. Clean the entire car - inside and out (it's just nice to take it out in the Spring on a sunny day and have it ready to use and shine).
5. Add fuel stabilizer and run for 5 min.
6. Park the car on top of a tarp to prevent moisture from transmitting from the concrete to the body. Roll the car onto foam pads under the tires to limit movement while sitting and increase longevity of the storage tires.
7. Block the wheels and leave the car out of gear and with the ebrake down (not engaged) to prevent the brakes from sticking and eliminate transmission stress while sitting.
8. Place dryer sheets around the engine bay, wiring, in the trunk, and one on each front floor mat to leave the car smelling fresh and to keep rodents out.
9. Plug in with simple trickle charger (I use the Noco 750 for battery maintenance).
10. Cover and wait until Spring.

That's a lot of work. You have to have a 2nd car for winters? Here, sometimes it gets under 50 degrees so I run the heater.

What's winter?


Said every Floridian ever.

The thing that either shortens the car's life by 50%, or the time you can enjoy it by 50%.

Said every Ontarian ever.

Or you know, just drive it year round and not worry about the eventual ruination of your car decades from now.

Meh. Not a 1980 Chevette. The life is only shortened by about 10% these days.

In the 7 years I have owned this car I have read many suggestions for storage.

In my case, fuel stabilizer, trickle charger and an oil change suffice. Also, I use chocks rather than allowing the parking brake to seize.

I see no necessity to store the winter tires in a warm place. The difference it makes would not justify the trouble IMHO. And, I am on my second set of MPSS with no issue. My guess is the far majority of people skip that step.

There is a toyota PDF which contains guidelines for dealers on long term lot storage. The only thing that stood out for me was cycling the AC/defrost when the vehicle was started. I guess to dry things out around the heater core.
As far as an oil change, I dont bother as I don't have many kms on the oil anyway. From my experience with 4stroke snowmobiles, oil picks up acidic contamination from the combustion process and that can lead to bearing etching in long tern storage. So the manual said.
Summer tires cracking in the cold is a pretty well known issue. Michelins own recommendations say that MPSS shouldn't be stored at or even on the car at -5 C. We had a few chilly nights (just below freezing) before I could swap my tires and I took a few last rides on 8-9 degree days. Cooler days with that rubber hard like a hockey puck really accelerated the tire wear.

Always before storage

It's when Florida gets rammed with pasty old folk looking for a bronze makeover...

I've done oil changes before and after I stored the car. The last couple of years, I stopped doing the before but I ALWAYS immediately change the oil as soon as I bring it back out.

Hasn't negatively affected me whatsoever.